


Dating Contest

by LightningLemonade



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Pre-Movie, Prompt Fic, past Vanessa/Hermann, polyamorous Alison & Tendo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-13 07:44:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4513683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightningLemonade/pseuds/LightningLemonade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newt decides Hermann needs to start dating again after his divorce. Somehow it turns into a contest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hallo all. I Have Only A Million Blemishes is on hold while I figure out chapter structure and have a busy life (what is this madness), but I got inspired by a prompt from OTPprompts on Tumblr.
> 
> "Your OTP, not yet together, are sick of being single and challenge each other - whoever is the first to go on 10/50/100 dates wins a prize, and may well end up in a relationship to boot. Both take to the challenge with gusto, meeting regularly to swap notes, but neither feel very fulfilled about it. When they only have one more left, they meet up, realize that what they were looking for was right in front of them all along, and decide to end the challenge with each other."
> 
> The idea took hold. I needed to write about these dorks.

"Hermann! You, my friend, need to get out of your post-divorce funk. Shit!"

The swearing and the loud splat of flesh on metal barely caught Hermann's attention. Newt frowned at his lab partner - stock still in front of one of the many computers on his side of the room, white-knuckle grip on his cane as he stares at a wall of text on the monitor.

Newt disposes of the rogue Kaiju sample that slid off his table, peels off his gloves and yanks off the head torch, tossing it behind him somewhere while he marches over to Hermann. "Dude, you're kinda scaring me, what's-oh man, stop looking at that." 

The text on the screen is the confirmed finalisation of divorce from one Vanessa Gottlieb nee Johnson. Newt turns off the monitor, grabs Hermann by the arm and half propels, half drags him to the battered sofa at the back of the lab. Hermann does not protest, verbally or physically. Which worries Newt more. He sits Hermann down and scampers off to make some stupidly strong tea.

Tea (in Hermann's favourite mug, of course) and coffee (well, he might as well, never mind it's his 12th cup today and he can feel the imminent caffeine headache, it'd be pretty weird to just make Hermann something. He's being a good friend. And polite or something. And increasing caffeine to bloodstream ratio) in hand, he heads back to the sofa to see Hermann has moved - his cane's leaning against the side of the sofa, his hands are holding his knees and his eyes are locked in a staring contest with a Kaiju organ floating in its tank.

"Hey Hermann, tea." Newt places the mugs on the little table, on the abandoned CDs that served as coasters and slumps on the sofa, sliding down till his hips are at the edge of the seat. Hermann snorts at the biologist's absurd sitting position and leans over to grasp his mug and takes a sip. "Not...terrible. Thank you, Dr Geiszler."

Newt rolls his eyes. "Call me Newt, dude, you're not my mother." 

Hermann huffs and goes back to his tea, while Newt hauls himself up to drink some of that coffee.

"What did you mean by...I need to get out of my post-divorce funk?" Hermann asks tentatively, eyes fixed on his mug.

"Just that. I think that you, need to try dating again. It's been what, six months since this whole saga started? You my friend, are lonely, need to get the hell out of the lab sometime other than for food and sleep, really really need to stop reading over your emails with her and go do someone. Maybe several people. Also, this is totally fucking up your ability to work! I'm pretty sure you've done like, nothing today. And nothing yesterday."

Hermann's eyes narrowed. "Crude, Geiszler, very crude. But I...yes. Alright, you're correct, this...is affecting my work."

He sighs, slender fingers wrapping themselves around the mug. "Geiszler...Newton. How do you propose I regain my ability to work?"

Newt grins. "Dates. Lots of them. A minimum of ten."

He could swear the cogs of Hermann's brain churning through this idea were audible. After a few moments, Hermann exhaled and shook his head slowly. "The blind leading the bloody blind. Geiszler, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're also single and have been for a long while. If you're making me go on ten dates I insist you do as well."

The biologist bursts into laughter. "Alright man, you're on. Anything to get you feeling better. And hey! First one to get to ten dates wins, uh...something. Oh I don't know, if you win I'll not play music in the lab for a week, if I win I get to crank the volume up?"

Hermann breaks out into a small smile. "You're on, Geiszler."

 

\---

Date 1 - Newt and Tendo, Hermann and Alison

What Newt had been calling "The K-Science J-Tech crossover pairing!" wasn't actually awful at first, Hermann mused. They accidentally ended up on a double date - Hermann had picked the same restaurant as Tendo, they both arrived at the same time, so ended up sitting together for ease of conversation. It was somewhat less awkward with more people around, but more difficult because Newt was there.

Newt was there and they slipped into their habit of bickering over research, the state of the lab and damn near anything else, while Tendo and Alison looked on in amusement, transforming rapidly into exasperation and the unshakable feeling of being ignored. The two J-Techs ended up leaving Hermann and Newt in the restaurant, who barely noticed anything beyond their arguments.

Once they'd been told to leave at closing time, the scientists realised their dates had vanished.

"Newton Geiszler, we're counting that as one. And we're never going on a double date again."

"Agreed, dude. Never again."

\---

Date 2 - Newt and Tendo, Hermann and Alison - the do-over.

With some careful planning on Tendo's part (aka arranging it all himself), the four managed to have their respective dates without the chaos of leaving K-Science in close proximity.

Alison chose the location this time, picking up a rather nervous Hermann from his quarters before heading to one of the many noodle bars in Hong Kong's Boneslums.

Hermann had to admit, Alison was rather lovely. Very much the 1950's pinup girl, with a few extra tattoos and an impressive scar across her left hand - from her days on the Jaeger factory line, she told him. They talked about work, pilots, a little about Vanessa, Tendo, Newton, Tendo and Alison's relationship and back to work.

He appreciated that Alison and Tendo were polyamorous. Not a particular arrangement for him, but he was grateful he could go out with someone he at least knew and there were none of the usual expectations. She walked him back to his quarters near the lab, kissed him on the cheek and said goodnight.

After the mild disaster of the first attempt, Hermann was pleased at how well the evening went this time. He curled up in bed with a well-worn copy of _The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul_ , his heart feeling lighter than it had since...well, six months.

He slipped into Dirk Gently's world of I-Ching calculators that only returned 'A suffusion of yellow' for answers over four, letting the bizarre events around Kate and Thor drive away any lurking thoughts of Vanessa. Hermann fell asleep somewhere in St Pancras station, glasses askew and a smile on his face.

-

While Alison and Hermann were having their dinner in the Boneslums, Tendo and Newt were in the bar nearest to the Shatterdome, getting drunk and more than a little bit touchy-feely - Hands under shirts, pressed up against each other, heated alcoholic kisses.

Oh sure, they'd talked somewhat, but they already knew each other pretty well. Like that they both did better expressing themselves physically rather than verbally - Tendo had a stutter that presented itself at the first hint of trouble, and Newt lived with one foot in his mouth.

So some brief negotiation on how far this would go, what to avoid, and having checked with Alison ahead of time, they decided to at least make a date of it rather than a booty call - so ventured to the nearby bar in order to have a few drinks. Just a few, before heading to Newt's room. Which turned into several shots with some other J-Techs and some frenzied making out in a shady corner.

They dragged each other back to the Shatterdome, leaning against each other and giggling. The pair weaved their way towards Newt's quarters, passing Alison who wolf-whistled and whooped (much to Tendo's amusement and Newt's embarrassment) before resuming their frantic kissing against Newt's door. A few failed attempts later, and Newt finally managed to unlock his door while being teased to trouser-related discomfort. They practically fell into the room, slammed the heavy door behind them, and resumed activities.

It was a good thing the corridor was not a well travelled one these days, any passer-by would have been privy to a whole host of filthy noises. 

-

Hermann ventured into the lab the next morning, slightly late for once. He slept well, so it was completely excusable. Surprisingly Dr Geiszler was awake, hard at work making microscope slides. "Morning Hermann! How'd things go last night?"

"Erm. Good. Alison is lovely. How...how did things go with Tendo?"

Newt's face broke out into a wide grin. "Fucking excellent, and I mean that literally."

Hermann rolled his eyes. "Good lord. Please, do not inform me of the details."

"Hey! I'm a gentleman! I don't share! Well, unless you want to know. I dunno man, you might want some tips before you take Tendo out yourself." Newt babbled on as he placed another sample slice on a slide and looked it over.

Hermann felt his face burn. "Th-then you're not as much of a gentleman as you claim, Doctor Geiszler! Now please cease and desist discussing this topic, it's inappropriate for the workplace."

A mumbled "whatever, dude" was the last thing Hermann heard from his errant lab partner before he got stuck into his breach equations.


	2. Chapter 2

For Newt, dates three and four were not so good. They were with one of the Russian J-Tech's on Tendo's recommendation, who turned out to be rather...obsessive. She practically lived in the lab for a day and a half until Hermann chased her out, threatening to report her to Pentacost for disruption and abandoning her post. Hermann got an incredibly grateful Newt attached to him for his troubles. Somehow he didn't mind the smaller man's happy clinging, babbling about how "awesome you are dude, I couldn't get rid of her!"

Hermann's third date - a soft-spoken woman who worked in LOCCENT, was incredibly awkward due to nervousness on Hermann's part, shyness for her. The fourth was with Alison again, in order to rebuild a little confidence - in both a romantic and sexual sense. 

(Hermann spent the next day with a blissful smile plastered over his face, much to Newt's amusement and jealousy.)

Before date number five, Hermann and Newt were taking a rare silent moment of reading over each other's reports. Several pages in and a few accidental doodles of fractals rather than actual critique, Hermann put his pen down and sighed. "Dr Geiszler-rather, um, Newton. I, well...I should thank you."

Newt spun around his battered office chair, loose sheets of paper falling off his lap. "Thank me for what, Hermann?" 

"For...for your insistence I attempt dating again. It's...helping. And so, I thank you."

"Awww dude, it's no problem. Thanks for making me date again too, I guess. Forgot how like, lonely it can get with just you around, even with all our epic arguments."

That last line from Newt had a strange effect on Hermann's stomach. He was going to have to push that unknown feeling down for now, he had a date with Tendo in a few hours.

And somehow, Newton Geiszler's snagged a date with the Kaidanovsky's tonight. 

Both scientists survived said outings, though they were feeling somewhat delicate in the morning. Or somewhere around noon, in the case of Newt who managed to drag himself to the lab at that hour.

"Dude. Never drinking again."

Hermann groaned quietly from his resting place - sat at a desk with his forehead against the blissfully cool metal. "Agreed."

"Tendo get you smashed?" Newt stumbled past towards their tiny kitchen area.

"Somewhat. In more than one way." Hermann smirked, triggering another flash of pain through his head.

"Oh my god, you told me off for being crass and ungentlemanlike or whatever and here you are, doing the same thing!"

"Newton. I am too hungover to care much for your assumptions and conjectures. Even if they are sort of right."

"HA! Oh, ow, shouldn't have yelled, oh my god that hurrrrt..."

"Too bloody right, Newton. Please, be silent."

"No problem dude."

\---

Dates number six to nine came and went, unremarkable except in the increased confidence Hermann had in himself.

He was someone...likable, beyond work. Beyond what he could do and instead for who he was, it wasn't just Vanessa who saw it, others did. Alison, Tendo, maybe even Newton?

...Where did that come from?

Oh who was he kidding. He'd had thoughts of a romantic nature about Newton since Date Three. Maybe before then, if he was really honest. As insufferable as the man was, he was still...

Well, that thought was complex.

"Gooooood morning, Hermann!" In strolled the object of Hermann's facinations, midmorning but bearing steaming mugs of fresh coffee and tea.

"Good morning, Newton. Ah, thank you." accepting the hot beverage from his lab partner. 

"So Hermann, who is your tenth date going to be? Tendo or Alison again?" Newt chirped, leaning on Hermann's desk and taking a gulp of his coffee.

"I...I had thought...maybe I'd, I could, I would take you. On a date."

Newt's jaw dropped. "M-me? Really? Holy shit dude, I was gonna ask you! Both of us'll get like, the calm and the loud weeks for the bet, which'll be great! Plus the added benefit of actually getting to take you on a date, which I've been thinking about for a while-whuuuuup ignore that!"

Hermann smiled, slow and almost sweet. "I believe that, overall, this will suit us both well."

Newt grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished it off, not sure it's any -good- but it's finished.
> 
> Yay days off while ill.


End file.
